No. 8 Jónsi - Countdown of the Best Concerts of 2010

​Over the last ten weekdays of 2010, Up On The Sun will be counting down the best live shows of 2010.

Today we look at the #8 show of the year, Sigur Rós frontman and Icelandic man-boy Jónsi at Marquee Theatre.

Show: Jónsi at Marquee Theatre

Date: Saturday, October 23, 2010

Background: While people know Jónsi as the lead singer for Sigur Rós, this was his debut tour as a solo artist. For a few hours on an October night, the audience at the Marquee Theatre miraculously dropped the cynicism of adulthood and was transported to a place in our minds where we weren't too cool to be genuinely excited about the things in life both significant and insignificant... or at least that's how is seemed to me as a reviewer.

Why it stood out: Though the music Jónsi played was performed beautifully, it was more the complete sensory experience (lights, music, art, and emotion wrapped in one neat little package) that landed this among the best shows of the year. Remember being sent to your room as a child and -- instead of thinking about what you did wrong -- taking that time to make up languages, imagine stories in your head, sing, dance, and play pretend? Now imagine you had the budget to make that a reality. That's a Jónsi show, complete with laughing, crying, and plenty of hugging.

Someone else said: "Go is another brilliant marriage of strings and electronics. Jón "Jónsi" Thór Birgisson worked with composer and arranger Nico Muhly, and together they created an album that took me from unexpected joy to jubilation. Jonsi's concert was the most thrilling show I saw this year, too, and I saw a lot of shows." -Bob Boilen, All Songs Considered (read it here)